Football season is over. I can’t believe I’m typing those words. But at least I’m typing them in a good head space!

Mizzou won its 10th game of the 2024 season on Monday afternoon, defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes 27-24 in the Music City Bowl. It was a back-and-forth contest that, as we’ve come to expect with the Tigers, ended with some late-game heroics and a looooooong field goal.

Here are the major takeaways.

1. Brady Cook goes out how he should: a winner

Brady Cook’s career at Mizzou gets the capper it deserves: A second consecutive bowl victory and two 10-win seasons in a row. You know which other full-time Mizzou QBs have that on their CV? Chase Daniel… and that’s it. Even the eternal Cook haters will now have to contend with the fact that Cook’s final game cemented him amongst the elite QBs to ever don black and gold.

In a game that saw him surpass Brad Smith on the all-time Mizzou passing list, Cook for 341 total yards of offense, two touchdowns and no turnovers. His completion percentage looks a lot lower than it should due to a host of drops, but anyone who watched saw the best of Brady Cook. He was accurate throwing deep, intermediate and short, and he was a constant threat with his legs.

Brady Cook’s legacy will never be questioned by reasonable Mizzou fans. But even when people try to ding his reputation as not an elite talent, all you have to do is point to the 2023 and 2024 seasons to show what Cook has always been in his time as Mizzou’s starter…

A winner.

2. Death Row’s major turnaround

To think Mizzou would give up 24 points to Iowa in a full game was an unlikely thought earlier this afternoon. To think they’d give up 21 points in a half was almost unthinkable. But that’s how the first half of the game unfolded, with Iowa’s Brandon Sullivan and a host of backup RBs carving up the Tigers front-to-back for the first 30 minutes of game time. To be fair to the defense, 7 of the points came on a 100-yard kickoff return… but it was an embarrassing first-half showing from the unit.

And then things got back to how they should. Mizzou’s defense was almost perfect in the second half, holding Iowa to just three points, producing a massive interception while Iowa was driving and stopping their final drive with a highlight reel turnover on downs. Seriously, Corey Flagg, Jr. going over the top of the defensive line will be a top tier Mizzou image for… I think ever, right?

For 30 minutes, it looked like a month off had caught up to Corey Batoon’s unit, so surprisingly stout all season. Then, for another 30 minutes, they looked every bit as good as we’ve come to expect this season. It was an impressive turnaround on a big stage.

3. Something old, something new

With Mizzou missing some of its top playmakers, both to NFL Draft opt-outs and in-game injuries, the Tigers needed help on offense from some lesser known names. At the same time, some wiley veterans on defense led the charge on the other side of the ball.

After battling through something of a sophomore slump (due to injuries, no doubt) Marquis Johnson had his best game as a Tiger, going for 122 yards on seven catches with a touchdown. He also produced one of his signature deep ball catches, maybe the most athletically impressive of his young career. And a host of other young playmakers got involved in the absence of Luther Burden III, Theo Wease, Jr. (who left the game with an injury after a bad hit) and Mookie Cooper. Daniel Blood caught two passes for 38 yards, Josh Manning scored on a Burden-esque sweep play in the red zone, Tavorus Jones emerged with an explosive receiving play. Hell, even Logan Muckey put his name on the scoresheet with a six-yard catch.

On the defense, though, it was all about the big names. Johnny Walker, Jr. capped his Mizzou career in style, logging two big sacks. Toriano Pride, Jr. hopped over a receiver for an athletic pick. Triston Newson led the team in tackles. Daylan Carnell and Corey Flagg, Jr. tag teamed for the game-winning tackle. While the young guys were leading the way on offense, the old heads made things happen on defense. You need both to beat good teams like Iowa, especially on a national stage.

4. Craig the Leg cements his place

It’s been an up-and-down freshman campaign for Blake Craig. As if replacing Harrison Mevis weren’t enough, Craig sent everyone’s expectations through the ceiling after hitting a 56-yarder early in the season. He’ll end the year with a completion percentage under 70, but he ended on the perfect note.

With the Tigers entering the fourth quarter trailing 24-21, Mizzou’s offense seemed to be stalling against the weight of Iowa’s stout front. But presented with two opportunities to do what he does best — blast 50-plus-yarders — Craig didn’t disappoint. Craig was good for 51 yards and 56 yards in the fourth quarter to put Mizzou in the lead. In typical Craig the Leg fashion, his deep shots looked perfect and could’ve been good from even longer.

There’s been some question (at least in this writer’s mind) as to whether Craig deserved a nailed on spot as the top kicker in 2025. His heroics against Iowa should put any doubts to bed.

5. 10 wins means something

“Bowl games don’t mean anything,” has never been more in vogue. You know what matters? Being one of a dozen teams to have a shot at playing for a natty? You know what doesn’t? Traveling to a regional destination to get a free bag of swag and play an exhibition game where neither team has its best players.

But there is something that sort of counteracts that tried-and-true statement: Getting to 10 wins. Putting double digit wins on the board means quite a bit, especially for a program like Mizzou. We’ve worn out the stat at this point, but it’s only the third time in program history that Mizzou has put up back-to-back double-digit win campaigns. That matters to recruits. It matters to transfers. It matters to donors. And it matters to us as fans.

Eli Drinkwitz was under pressure to deliver this season. He worked hard to raise expectations in Columbia, and even on the back of this win, you could strongly argue that the 2024 season was a “disappointment.”

But, man, considering a 10-3 season as a disappointment certainly suggests that Eli Drinkwitz has Mizzou Football headed in the right direction. The standard in Columbia since Gary Pinkel has been “win more games than you lose during most seasons.” Now? The standard seems to be “win enough to be a CFP contender during most seasons.” In his first half decade as Mizzou head coach, Drinkwitz has taken the Tigers from also-ran SEC program to a perennial Top 25 team. That means something, even if the route they took to get there wasn’t what we hoped.